Of buildings and a plain of snow
by Emminyan
Summary: a Fresh pair of eyes can put a new view on the world. This is the story of Bleach through the eyes of Zangetsu and Sode no Shairayuki. this will be ichixruki and ZangetsuxShirayuki so if you dont like, dont read.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Disclaimer: This is the only time ill say it, I don't own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo.

If I did indeed own Bleach, I would be nicer than releasing twenty pages of GUT WRENCHING CLIFFHANGER each week.

Ichigo and Rukia also would have gotten together by now :P that's right, I'm a shipper!

* * *

The raven haired girl stood upon a pole overlooking the town of Karakura.

"It is near." The girl said into the dark night, her usually stoic features becoming a frown, "Strange… I sense enormous reiatsu nearby."

"_That just means be__ more careful Rukia."_ A voice inside the girls mind resounded, "_And that means no getting yourself killed either! Do you hear me?"_

This last remark turned the girls frown into a wry smile, "I understand Shirayuki-dono, I promise to be careful."

"_You better be."_ Came the muttered reply as the voice slowly faded from the girls hearing.

The girl that went by the name of Kuchiki Rukia smiled slightly at this as she folded up her map and disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

Sode no Shirayuki sighed deeply as she gazed at the delicate surroundings inside her wielders spirit world. The pure white colour of the snow that was falling had always seemed so peaceful…like home.

She would not want to admit it to Rukia but she felt troubled. Like her wielder, she too could sense the enormous reiatsu nearby. However, unlike Rukia she could sense how vast it truly was. It was easily as large as the reiatsu belonging to Rukia's brother, Byakuya, and he was a _captain class_ Shinigami. However this reiatsu was somehow less refined.

Her interest being roused by this unusual reiatsu, Sode no Shirayuki reached out with her mind, trying to at least locate the location this powerful force. Her mind brushed against it and the reiatsu suddenly wrapped around her, and a strange vision assaulted her eyes.

**She was sitting in a boy****'s bedroom, staring at a young teenager of around fifteen with a scowl on his face and bright orange hair. He tossed and turned in his bed, mumbling to himself.**

And just as violently as she was drawn into it, Shirayuki wrenched away from the reiatsu that was holding her captive, and the vision disappeared.

"Shirayuki-dono? Are you alright?" Rukia's concerned voice broke through the distant fog around Shirayuki's thoughts.

"_Ah, Rukia." _Shirayuki replied, trying to slow her racing pulse. _"Do not concern yourself with me, I am fine. You should be worried about yourself… and your surroundings. I do believe that I told you to be careful of yourself."_ She said.

"Oh... I apologise for interrupting your thoughts Shirayuki, I will leave you to yourself." And Rukia's voice faded away.

With Rukia gone Sode no Shirayuki once more tried to slow her pulse and calm her ragged breathing.

"_What in the world _was_ that." _Shirayuki tried to answer this question but she just couldn't find a solution to it. If she had any doubts about it before, they had now vanished. That reiatsu was indeed the most powerful she had ever encountered over her 150 year existence. But there was something more... there was something strange about this extraordinary power that Shirayuki just couldn't put her finger on it.

Coming to a decision, Sode no Shirayuki steeled herself and reached out again with her mind to the place where she found the other reiatsu before. But she didn't make contact with it, she merely hovered and 'observed'. By doing this she had found what she had thought was strange.

_The power inside that boy was dormant_

Shirayuki went cold. Well, as colder than a being of ice usually is. Dormant? Impossible! The idea that that something so powerful was unused, inactive, it was simply terrifying. It also raised many questions that Sode no Shirayuki had no answer to.

Was this a human boy… or a Shinigami?

If he is indeed human, how did he acquire such power?

And what would happen if this power reached its full potential?

He had looked familiar. Had she known him from somewhere else?

Could he possibly be the one mentioned in the...?!

She was getting worked up, it was not at all like her, unbecoming of the ice queen of soul society.

Still…

Right now she didn't really want to know. At the moment she needed more knowledge about this immensely powerful reiatsu. And while because did not know enough about it, she would have to keep a careful eye on her wielder. Once again, Sode no Shirayuki sighed. If things continued in this fashion, it would be a long night.

* * *

Kurosaki Ichigo rose from his bed with a start. He was covered in a cold sweat from this strange pressure. He felt a freezing presence that had swept through his mind. He had tried to reach out to it but it had recoiled. After a short absence it had returned, forceful, yet hovering just out of reach. It was strange that when that presence had come into contact with his mind something, _inside of him,_ had responded. Ichigo didn't know what it had been and it frightened him.

Ugh, brain freeze.

Ichigo looked at the clock beside him. It was 9.30pm. _Ugh_ he thought, he didn't have time to be thinking of such things. Why did he decide to take a nap? He shook his head to clear it of the presence, and began his homework, knowing nothing of what had just transpired or the fact that he had been the source of it.

But no one knew of, or could guess what was to come…

A/N

Hello, hello, how is everyone today? This is my first fanfic and I am quite proud of it considering that I thought of the idea while doing my maths semester test!!! Bwa ha ha ha. A big SHOUT goes out to my bestest buddy TsugiNoMai, who helped me work out the bugs in this chapter. Oh yeah.... btw I have a bit of a habit of using big words that no one understands so if im doing so just tell me and I will fix it. And at the moment, I am offering a deal, you review my story and I review yours. Equivalent exchange XD (FMA joke) se ya laters my lovely friends

- Flying-Plum


	2. Pierce thy Heart

Chapter two: Pierce thy heart

Sode no Shirayuki observed from her inner world as Rukia jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Together they searched the shadows, looking for the hollow they were sent to Karakura town to kill. The last time the hollow had been sensed by the two of them it had been somewhere around this area, but now it was nowhere to be found.

Shirayuki sighed deeply, still on edge, "we've been jumping around like... _chappy_ for the past half hour and we still haven't seen a single thing!"

"This is indeed quite frustrating." Rukia added, in a huff. "it seems as though the hollows reiatsu was easier to sense from a high place, but now that we are closer to the ground, the surrounding spiritual pressure is creating some sort of unseen filter, and the hollow is nowhere to be found."

"A filter? Strong enough to block our senses? Such a thing is almost unheard of..." Shirayuki chided. "Just concentrate more so we can locate the hollow, we should get back to Soul society as soon as possible. Time is of the essence."

Sode no Shirayuki sensed that Rukia had closed her eyes and was concentrating on locating the hollow with all her might. Once again, Shirayuki was worried. 'That's starting to get a bit old' she thought to herself. Of course while she had said that there couldn't possible be a filter strong enough to block the ultrasharp senses of a Shinigami, she knew that there _could_ be one. Shirayuki's mind flashed to an image of a scowling, orange haired boy, tossing back and forth in his bed from nightmares...

And Rukia was definitely having enough trouble with this 'ridiculous' filter that she found herself unable to sense even a hint of the hollow.

"S-Shirayuki-sama..." Rukia began cautiously.

Sode no Shirayuki let out a long sigh "Yes Rukia?" Shirayuki replied. Blast, she had interrupted her train of thought.

Rukia took a deep breath before continuing, "I need your help Shirayuki-sama. I can't find the hollow here in this town without your help, it seems virtually impossible."

"Hmph, I suppose you're right. It just goes to show what a shinigami is without their zanpaktou. I'll help, although I shouldn't have to."

Shirayuki smiled as Rukia tried to thank her for her help and apologize for her own incompetence at the same time. She would never let Rukia see it or say so out loud, but sometimes she just thought her wielder was too adorable for words. Though having such a thought known wouldn't do. It would thoroughly ruin her reputation. Such childish thoughts would not befit a noble zanpaktou spirit such as herself.

Snapping back to reality Sode no Shirayuki concentrated as hard as she could alongside Rukia to locate the troublesome and elusive hollow. Their combined spiritual power summoned the rieroku (spirit ribbons) of the entire town for them to see. They examined them together. As expected, the majority of the rieroku was white, the colour of normal humans. Several were also white, but slightly transparent - the colour of plus souls. Rukia didn't notice them, but Shirayuki also noticed three faded red ribbons. Even faded, red was the colour of a shinigami's rieroku. That was definitely odd, there wasn't supposed to be any other shinigami stationed here. Shirayuki dismissed it after some thought, it was probably just that Byakuya-sama had sent some guards to watch his little sister.

"Found you!!" Rukia shouted with glee as she grabbed onto a black spirit ribbon. It was fairly far off, the both of them had been heading in the wrong direction. And it seemed in roughly the same place as a plus soul... The shinigami and zanpaktou cursed as Rukia shunpoed as fast as she was able towards the hollow and the helpless plus soul.

* * *

"Arrrrrgh! What the heck is going on!" both of them yelled as they got there. The hollow had disappeared from the scene. All that was left was a bloodstained patch of road. There appeared to be something there and as the pair went to investigate they were shocked to find that it moved. "Rukia, it's the plus soul." Shirayuki mentioned as Rukia knelt down beside the plus and used kidô to heal her wounds.

As the small plus soul came around, Sode no Shirayuki prompted Rukia to question the young girl.

"Hello?" Rukia started' "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm f-fine now. Who are you?"

"Rukia Kuchiki. Don't worry, I'm a friend... I'll have those wounds fixed up in a moment." Rukia added upon seeing the girl's worried face.

When the young girl's wounds were healed Rukia continued to question the plus soul.

"What happened here sweetheart?" Rukia questioned gently, not wanting to scare her.

"Um... there was a monster here and it attacked me."

"OK, what else happened here?"

"I-I think it was playing with me for a while. It was asking me questions too..."

"What kind of questions?"

"It was asking me about someone. A boy, he helped me earlier today. I think the monster smelled him on me."

"Who was he? Can you describe him?" asked Rukia, curious. In her mind, she added to Shirayuki, "He must have high spiritual pressure, to see a ghost."

"Indeed." Shirayuki replied. With this information, she was starting to feel nauseas.

"Err, the boy was really, really tall, but I think he was about fifteen..."

'Oh dear.' Thought Shirayuki.

"He had brown eyes, and he was scowling all the time..."

'Don't say orange hair, don't say orange hair.' Shirayuki prayed to herself.

"Umm....... oh! And he had really ridiculous spiky, orange hair.

(At this point Sode no Shirayuki muttered multiple profanities to herself but I won't list them here)

"OK." Rukia continued oblivious to her partners cussing."Which way did the boy go?"

"That way." The girl pointed in a general direction. "I think he was heading home."

"Thank you. That should be it" Said Rukia, before performing konso on the girl.

Rukia stood up and dusted off her hakama.

"Rukia, we need to get rid of this hollow fast. Otherwise this could get very, very bad." Sode no Shirayuki warned.

"I agree, at least we have a lead now." Said Rukia, then drifting off, lost in her own thoughts.

"Well what are you waiting for? Let's get going." Sode no Shirayuki snapped her out of her reverie and they shunpoed in the general direction that the plus soul pointed out.

* * *

"WAIT!! Rukia stop here!" Shirayuki cried and Rukia skidded to a halt.

They stood outside on a small rooftop. Rukia looked in the direction that Sode no Shirayuki had mentally pointed out. A building, it had a sign on the front of the house. It read: Kurosaki clinic. "Where are we Shirayuki-sama? Why are we stopping here?"

"Just a feeling." Shirayuki replied quickly.

"Now that you think of it..." Rukia mumbled, lost in thought, "There's a weird presence here, like when we were up above the town."

"Really!?" Shirayuki drawled, sarcasm dripping of every word, "You just noticed?"

"Oh..... Sorry." Rukia replied. Then sat down on the roof and patiently waited for the hollow or any other abnormality that might happen near here. While that was going on, Shirayuki decided on a plan of action. She was sure that this was where she had sensed the boy before. What would she do? She knew it was common sense to stay as far away as possible, she should even tell Rukia about this; but she was just so curious. And she wanted to keep her wielder safe, which was a must. Sode no Shirayuki could feel the boy moving around the room, and she could feel the power inside him. It seemed to keep one eye out on him all the time, and cast its other eye out to its surroundings, like something had caught its interest. Shirayuki felt a ghostly presence slide over her and she shivered inside her inner world. As soon as the presence came into contact with her, it perked up.

'Is it looking for me?' Shirayuki thought, when suddenly there was a massive flux in reiatsu. Rukia jumped with the sudden force of it.

Okay no the curiosity was _really_ getting to her. So she decided to prompt Rukia into entering the house so she could just get it over with.

"It seems there is something in that house..... Rukia, go take a look." She said without any tact at all.

'Smooth Shirayuki, just smooth.' She muttered to herself. But Rukia followed her direction without a second thought. 'Ah the wonders of having someone like Rukia as your wielder.' She thought to herself again.

Rukia jumped across the street and entered the house through the wall on the second floor (don't ask me why, they just do.) and they felt another spike in spiritual pressure. "It is close." Rukia said to herself, looking around.

"HOWS THAT FOR CLOSE JERKOFF!!!" Came a shout followed by a sharp kick in the head. Shirayuki felt it as Rukia slammed into a wall and fell to the ground. Rukia rubbed her head and glared upwards at her attacker. Shirayuki gasped to herself. Their attacker was a fifteen year old boy. He scowled down at Rukia with brown eyes, and had a shock of bright, orange hair. It was him, _and he could see them.  
_

"So let me get this straight...." The boy started. Rukia waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts. "You are a soul reaper and you have been sent by this Soul Society place to exterminate some monster called a hollow." Rukia nodded, thinking that he had understood, although Shirayuki could see the scepticism in his eyes. She was proven right when he suddenly shouted "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL!"

Not that Shirayuki was paying too much attention to the conversation those two were having. She was more interested with the opportunity to study the power this boy seemed to have inside him. The first thing she noticed was that it was really, really big; ridiculous for a fifteen year old _human_ boy. And he didn't even seem aware of it. He couldn't control it very well either; it oozed out of him randomly and filled the space all around him. 'How can he not be aware of _that_?' Shirayuki wondered, 'His control is terrible too, no wonder a hollow is after him.'

After Sode no Shirayuki had fully observed the boys power. She looked at the boy himself again. She had payed attention just in time for the boy's arms to be restrained by a bakudo number one and draw a moustache on his face. "Rukia, was that particularly necessary?"

"I will not stand for being called a snot nosed brat!" Rukia cried defiantly in her thoughts back at Shirayuki, who was quite surprised. Not even Renji, Rukia's best friend could make Rukia show such emotion anymore. It seemed that this boy was quite special, in more ways than one.

And then just like that, Sode no Shirayuki was shocked again. She would have sworn that the presence that the boy harboured had just _laughed_. Well, not laughed, more like a feeling of amusement was coming from it, or him, she wasn't sure. Shirayuki watched curiously, if she didn't know it was impossible she would have sworn it was a fellow zanpaktou she was looking at, and not something else. But that couldn't be true, could it?

"_Greetings." _Shirayuki thought to it, just as a test.

"********" she got static in reply.

So that meant whatever it was hadn't been recognised by its wielder. To Shirayuki, this mystery seemed to get stranger by the minute....

The reiatsu that it/he leaked out felt like it was suffocating her, she couldn't breathe properly because of it. It had a personality, a consciousness separate from its master, and it appeared to be much more mature and grave than this hot-headed teenager. It bore many similarities to a zanpaktou spirit, although that was impossible for a human. It was one of the most amazing, and confusing things she had ever seen in her 150 year existence.

Sode no Shirayuki became confused when all of a sudden she whatever it was seemed to snap its head up and its aura quickly shifted from being amused and curious to cautious and wary. The boy's attitude seemed to change too and he mumbled something to Rukia. Shirayuki was about to ask what had happened when she heard what they had seconds before.

WROOOOOOOOAAAAAAR!!!!!!

_The bloodcurdling howl of a hollow._

"How in the world did he hear the howl before we sensed it?" Rukia chimed in her thoughts.

"I don't know, but we have work to do." Shirayuki calmly responded Shirayuki urged Rukia up and they ran out the door, past the small black haired girl who had collapsed there moments before.

"H - Hey!! What about me? Let me go."

"Unacceptable." Rukia interrupted him "This isn't something you can even face. Just stay there and let me do my job." And then Rukia walked out of the room with Shirayuki, preparing for battle.

"Well, at least we found the hollow, and after we cleanse it, we can go back to Soul Society. Both women sighed at the thought of going back home. Rukia could go back to her family and friends in her squad and Sode no Shirayuki could go and gossip with the other zanpaktou. She wondered if her more experienced comrades could solve the mystery of this mysterious power the boy holds. Oh well, kill hollow first, ask questions later.

A snapping sound drew their attention from the hollow raging around just outside. The orange haired boy was straining his arms as hard as he could. Rukia shouted "No! You will only hurt yourself if you..."

SSSNNAAAP!

'The.... kido.... broke....?' Shirayuki thought, fascinated and horrified at the same time. Somehow, he had seemed to call upon his vast power, and he managed to get out of a _shinigami's_ kido spell. It was truly something to marvel over. Just what was this boy.

Shirayuki snapped out of her daze when she noticed what the hollow was holding. "Rukia! Get that girl away from the hollow." Bringing Rukia back to reality as well, she quickly reacted and chopped of the hollows hand, letting the boy, she assumed now he was her older brother, catch her where he fell.

"Yuzu." Said the brother, peering down into his sister's face, looking for any signs of life.

"Don't worry, she lives." Rukia consoled him briefly "None of you family have lost their lives."

"Really?" his voice was quiet.

"Trust me." Rukia replied and gave one of her rare smiles. His mouth twitched in reply.

"But.... why has this thing suddenly shown up, what does it have to do with us?"

"It's probable that the hollow sensed some high spiritual pressure, and your family was just in the way."

"W-What are you saying?"

"I think the hollow was after you."

The boy stared horrified as he heard her answer. Shirayuki saw that Rukia tried to reply but was knocked aside by the hollow, which had recovered from losing his hand.

"Ugh… I didn't guard my side, how careless." Rukia moaned.

"Damn right it was careless." Shirayuki yelled, "Now get up and finish this hollow off!"

Rukia struggled to get up and fight, but she sagged back down after a moments struggle.

"Hey, ugly, you want my soul?"

The boy's face drew the attention of both women, who stared horrified at the scene. He was facing off against the hollow alone, a human facing a hollow alone. Shirayuki believed another word for that is suicide.

"Then come and face me like a man you fish faced freak!"

The hollow roared in indignation at the boy's remark and triumph at finally having him out it the open.

"Oh no…" breathed Sode no Shirayuki.

Rukia didn't even think. With no time to spare, she lunged in front of the hollow, its jaws closed around her but she held it off with Shirayuki's sword form. Both of them felt explosive pain and were thrown aside, although not before Rukia had torn a large gash in it. That would at least disable the hollow for a few minutes.

"Foolish boy!!" Rukia shouted angrily, "Did you think if you gave up your life the hollow would spare the rest? Hollows never stop! After it was done with you it would have gone onto the rest of us and then even more people would suffer." She stopped when she saw the look on the boys face, and took a deep breath.

"Sode no Shirayuki. Are you there?" Rukia asked within her mind.

"Yes Rukia?" that was odd, Rukia almost never called her by her full name anymore.

"I want you to know that love you like the sister I never had, and I hope you can forgive me." Rukia sounded different, more serene that she should be in a situation like this.

"What in the world are you talking about Rukia? We need to fight this thing." Shirayuki was starting to get a bit frantic at this point.

But her voice reached deaf ears as Rukia turned to face the boy.

"But now I am too injured to fight. Boy, do you want to save your family?"

He responded straight away, "Of course I do, ill do anything."

"Rukia…" Shirayuki was definitely getting frantic now, "What are you saying?"

Rukia continued. "There is a way, that is… there is only one way."

Rukia pointed Shirayuki's sword form at the young boy. "You must become a shinigami."

"NO! Rukia, you can't be serious?!" Shirayuki finally lost it. It was crazy. The plan was insane, she would wind up killing herself, let alone the human child.

"Pierce this sword through your chest, and I will give you half of my powers. It may kill you, but if we don't do this we will all die anyway. Do you agree?" Rukia looked into the boy's eyes, pleading him to go along with this.

"No! No! Don't do this!" Sode no Shirayuki begged. It was no use, her wielder refused to hear her.

The boy's eyes looked scared for a moment, but his gaze hardened and he said "Give me the sword shinigami."

"Its not shinigami, its Kuchiki Rukia."

"Oh, Kurosaki Ichigo, lets pray this won't be our last meeting."

And with a last, desperate cry; Sode no Shirayuki shouted "No!" just as the boy known as Kurosaki Ichigo took her sword form and plunged it into his chest.

And then the pain began.

* * *

AN/: Waaaaaaah im so sorry (shields face from rotten tomatoes) I know its late, but I can explain!!! For the holidays, both me and my trusty editor TsugiNoMai were going away a lot, so we had no time to co-ordinate writing chapters. Secondly, I had a bollocking _mountain_ of homework (take into account that I am in year nine so things will pick up) and thirdly, my attitude for the entire holidays was just: don't wanna work, wanna play. Not motivated, rely on others in a pinch. So yeah, that's about it. Hopefully my chapters will come more regularly in the future. P.s if you are the first to correctly guess the anime reference in my authors note and where it is from, you get a magical PREVIEW of the chapter!!! Ja nee.

C-AN/:  
And with a bloodcurdling cry "YOU MUST REVEIW 'OF BUILDINGS AND A PLAIN OF SNOW'!!!!!" the hollow fell to its death, the last words the Ichigo muttered before passing out were... "LOL. What?"


	3. Beyond the dark abyss

**Of Buildings and a Plain of Snow**

**Chapter 2 – ****Beyond the dark abyss**

_**... if you really think I own Bleach, I think you need psychiatric help.**_

**S**ode no Shirayuki screamed as the pain overcame her. It was the most painful thing she had ever undergone. As Rukia stabbed Kurosaki Ichigo through the chest she felt herself wrenched from her own home, from Rukia's very soul. Rukia's screams of pain echoed her own as the beautiful plain of snow disappeared all around her and she was thrown into a dark abyss. Sinking into unconsciousness, the facade dropped. Injured and as fragile as any child, not the proud ice queen of soul society she was seen as Shirayuki uttered a quiet "Why Rukia...?"

And then everything turned black.

Sode no Shirayuki woke a short time later. She was in a never ending expanse of chaotic darkness that stretched as far as she could see. 'they say when you are betrayed it feels as though you are swirling into a dark abyss... I wonder how many people experience that literally?' she thought as a bitter laugh escaped her lips. Not that she could check to make sure anyway, her reiatsu was completely drained. She couldn't move a muscle. The only good thing about that was that with her dulled reiatsu the sharp, searing pain that came with being separated from Rukia was reduced to a dull throb. Although thinking about the situation was worse than she ever thought she'd have to endure.

Rukia; her wielder, her master, HER FRIEND; had cast her aside and all but presented her on a silver platter to this _human_ boy who she had barely known for around ten minutes. She felt lost and alone without her kind wielder by her side. She always acted brash and had been cold since she had been taken in by her adoptive brother, Byakuya; but Sode no Shirayuki knew her truly. Rukia was kind and would be a friend for life. She was a person who would listen to your troubles and help you get out of them.

That very friend had just given her away.

That realisation brought more pain than the physical separation. She said that she was only going to give half of her powers, if that was so then she would still be in her comfortable, familiar and pain free inner world. That she was now in this place meant that she was in no inner world at the moment; meant that Rukia had in fact given this boy more than half of her powers and herself!

Maybe even all of herself...

This was stupid, idiotic, and foolish! Did she even know the implications of doing such a thing?! Soul transferring is very risky, not to mention stupid! The chances of a mere human surviving the transfer was slim to none, it was not forbidden for no reason! It even posed a risk to the shinigami. Besides, we can't have bunch of human shinigami running around, think of the risk in confidentiality. Was this what Rukia was attempting with her…?

Well... put it this way. On one hand she could understand what her wielder was attempting and on the other hand she felt like screaming in her face, demanding her wielder to tell her what in the world was going on and how could she possible think of doing something like this. She didn't even try to release me! It's not like I'm a mega close range sword for god sake!

With this she decided to take some action. First: to figure out where she was... that was absolutely nowhere, literally. Second: identify any hostile enemies... that was absolutely no one, there wasn't even a friend. Third: explore the area around you to find an escape... oh right, she couldn't move, lovely, just absolutely lovely. "Well that was just a waste of time..." Shirayuki muttered darkly to herself. Deciding that she had had enough action-taking for the day she resumed muttering angrily to herself and slipping back into a state of depression.

After what seemed like hours Sode no Shirayuki noticed the pain was beginning to recede. She was able to move slightly and Shirayuki used this new found freedom of movement to move her head to observe her surroundings. The never-ending expanse of dark was dissolving and disappearing, becoming thinner and thinner, less menacing. And slowly her body could move again, from her head to her shoulders, her arms to her legs until finally she could once again move normally. By now the darkness swirling around her had been reduced to a fine veil that looked like mist; though she still couldn't see through it. Through the veil there threads of a beautiful pure blue colour. Upon touching them, she deduced that the blue threads were reiatsu, since Rukia's was a pure white colour, Sode no Shirayuki figured it belonged to the boy.

And yet another mystery had appeared before her.

How in the world a human boy contained so much reiatsu was beyond her knowledge and experience. If only she had had backup, a higher level zanpaktou might have known what was going on. Then again, if she had back up this wouldn't have happened in the first place. What to do, what to do?

Prodding at the veil Sode no Shirayuki was surprised to find that her hand went straight through. When she drew her hand back in the misty veil instantly closed up again, leaving her with no hole to see through to the other side. Shirayuki quickly debated wether or not she should go through to the other side. It was a simple matter. Of course she had no idea whatsoever about what was there once she got through, but she couldn't stay here forever could she?

Making up her mind Shirayuki steeled herself before stepping completely through the veil. About to step through the mess of the black and blue Sode no Shirayuki stopped, as if making a sudden, last minute realisation. Turning, Shirayuki stopped at a small section of the veil. Looking around, Sode no Shirayuki smiled triumphantly as she found what she was looking for. Entangled with the lovely blue ribbons of reiatsu, there was one small ribbon that differed from the rest. It was pure white. Sode no Shirayuki carefully pulled it out from the veil and tied it around her wrist. Smiling faintly for the first time in what seemed like centuries, Sode no Shirayuki once more went to exit through the opening in the screen. As she left that dark place words managed to escape her lips, "no matter what happens, this won't be permanent, we are not completely separated, and never will be. Rukia..." and with that, she stepped into the unknown.

Ah well, as they say, there is no story without a beginning...

**Authors note: **Hello again my lovely readers. Well, I didn't expect my chapter to come out so angst-y, I was kinda surprised. It's also a little short, but I plan to try to get my chapters out a little quicker to keep you from despairing, because I know for a while I was... ZETSUBO SHTA*!!!! I have a terrible curse of getting writers block every time I finish a chapter please forgive me T-T. The next chapter will hopefully be out sooner: My name is Zangetsu. Stay tuned!! Bye Bye!!!

**Co-Authors note:**yo! I am the underappreciated co-author, plum-chan and I work hand in hand in all stories. But... I am _lazy_ where she is diligent. Plum-chan tends to ramble however and in is my job to fix that, I have a fairly definite writing style... have you ever heard the nursery rhyme 'jack sprat'? It's like that. _Jack sprat could eat no fat his wife could eat no lean, but between the fussy pair they licked the platter clean. _One of us writes not nearly enough and the other would have you drown in a sea of unneeded words. But together we eat all the food on hand! Or, something like that...

**Flying-Plum**** : **Oh nonsense Tsugi-chan, I appreciate you very much *hugs*. And I have another saying "Those who live in glass houses should never throw stones" You ramble as much as I do so Nyah *sticks out tongue*

**TsugiNoMai****: **good to know, but what do mean I ramble. That's only when I talk my writing is very minimal. Besides, AND LISTEN TO ME PEOPLE, do you _know_ HOW many times plum-chan told us that the pain of knowing they had been separated hurt worse than the physical pain?! How many times she said that the soul transfer could have killed them?! She mentioned those points every freaking paragraph!!! Like a parrot of the sea she was...

**And the anime reference was...**

Sadly, no one got the reference last chapter. The reference was said by Konata, from Lucky Star. This week's reference is also hidden in my authors note. Name the character and the anime/manga they are from and you win a preview of the next chapter!!! Good luck... _I AM IN DESPAIR*!!!_


	4. My name is Zangetsu

**Of Buildings and a Plain of Snow**

**Chapter 3: My name is Zangetsu**

_No, you got the name __wrong; Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo Dumbasses._

The yuki-onna shielded her eyes delicately with her fan as the light threatened to blind her. As they adjusted Sode no Shirayuki turned to where she had just exited from the dark place she had been, and watched it disappear into nothing. There would be no turning back now. She mused to herself that she must had been in there for a while for her eyes to be so weak, as for day after day she had looked at the snow covered landscape of her inner world; so white and beautiful it would blind oneself as easily as the sun would.

Looking around her, Sode no Shirayuki gasped at how, in its own way, this inner world was as beautiful as her own. Its marvel lied in its intricacy, a giant city that was a perfect replica down to the last detail. Cars, shops, tall buildings that stretched on seemingly endlessly into the sky; the only thing missing was the people that usually would have flooded the streets. Although having the city deserted suited Shirayuki just fine, she didn't deal to well with people, quite ironic considering the form she takes. She preferred the quiet... There was something strange about this world, but it was probably nothing.

There was only one thing that spoiled the beauty and wonder of this inner world, and that was the sky. What should have been a rolling expanse of blue was covered in dark, perpetually looming clouds that looked as though they would unleash their full wrath at any moment. It gave one a feeling of gloom and depression, Sode no Shirayuki decided that she did not like this at all. It was like when Rukia was upset, the lovely white clouds would become a stormy grey and the soft snowflakes would become hailstones that stung and drew blood.

And the feeling that something was strange about this inner world continued to pulsate at the back of her consciousness as well. Something was out of place but here it seemed so natural to this inner world that you barely noticed it. Determined to get rid of this annoying feeling in the back of her mind, Sode no Shirayuki attempted to figure out this puzzle. It seemed that at the moment she was the only one around, that wasn't it. There was nothing that wasn't meant to be there like, well, a dancing elephant or something of the sort. That would laughable. Gravity was working just fine, here was nothing floating about and her feet were planted firmly on the side of the building where she was standing. . . . .

Wait a moment... the _side_ of the building? That wasn't right...

Sure enough, when Shirayuki looked down, she concluded that she definitely on the _side_ of the tall building, and not on top of it. When Shirayuki looked up (or more correctly, to her right) she saw the sky, with the clouds travelling the wrong way. Looking to her left... Sode no Shirayuki saw that it was a long, looooong way down.

_Oh how I detest heights..._

Sode no Shirayuki let out a noise that if it was made by someone that didn't have a noble air like Shirayuki, would have been labelled as a girly little squeal. She clutched onto the flag pole that was next to her like a lifeline, looking at the ground below her (to her left X3 I don't know why that makes me laugh but it does!!) with wide, frightened eyes. She was debating what in the world she was going to do to prevent herself from falling to her death when she heard an amused laugh from behind her and a deep, masculine voice reassuring her "Don't worry, you will not fall."

* * *

Sode no Shirayuki whipped her head around at the sound and was unnerved to find no one there, she nearly yelled out in shock when she felt strong fingers wrap themselves around her hands and gently pry them from their death grip on the pole. Shirayuki turned her head around again, this time more slowly; to come face to face with what only could be another zanpaktou.

He looked to be a 30-40 year old man. He dressed entirely in black with a large, ripped, overcoat that went over the top. His face was rugged, with a stubbly beard and long, unkempt brown hair. His dark brooding eyes were almost completely hidden by his sunglasses. He had a mysterious air, and even a fool could tell that he was powerful just by looking at him. He held himself in such a way that he was not an easily discarded man, and his spiritual pressure was completely suffocating. Realising her discomfort, the man lowered his reiatsu so she could breathe properly again; showing an amount of control that the owner of this world clearly didn't have.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment as they looked at each other. Then realising that the man had said something, Shirayuki snapped back to reality.

"P-pardon." She stuttered. What in the world was she doing, the ice-queen of soul society, stuttering in front of this man whom she didn't even know.

The man once again smirked at her, but it wasn't a cruel smirk it was one of amusement and Shirayuki felt a blush creep up the back of her neck, but she ordered it back down just like a noble should.

"I asked for your name."

At least that she could answer. "My name is Sode no Shirayuki."

"A lovely name," The man answered, and brought her hand to his lips. "May I call you Shirayuki?"

This time Shirayuki blushed outright and coughed, she hadn't even realised that he was still holding on to her hand. She had to admit, she didn't exactly want to let go. But she did so anyway. Nobility. She wrenched her hand out of his grasp and looked away, still blushing. Sadly she looked to her left instead of her right and saw the 'drop' down. She squealed and jumped again. The man reached out and grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

"I told you that you will not fall." He looked at her in the eye again and it felt like he was staring straight through her. His strong voice slowly reassured her and got her to look away from the dizzying sight. It had an air of command that, unlike so many others was neither proud nor cold.

Adopting a lighter tone to make her feel better, he joked "I wouldn't have thought you were afraid of heights."

Sode no Shirayuki smiled in spite of herself. "I'm not afraid of heights," she lied "but I am not used to a place like this. I suppose I will be, eventually." She shivered then. Eventually. How long would she be here?

"Are you aware of how I got here?" Shirayuki inquired. Perhaps this man could give her some answers to things she had been wondering about for a while.

"You would have gotten here through the soul transfer." The man replied.

Shirayuki froze. (Plum-chan could you not have picked a better word?) The soul transfer? That was impossible! Rukia had transferred her powers to a human, not another shinigami. This had to be a shinigami's inner world, for the surroundings were much more distinct than if the person were human. And the chances of a Kurosaki Ichigo having a zanpaktou spirit, a _unique_ zanpaktou spirit at that... Should have been absolutely none. Although considering all the things she knew about this human boy, it may not have been impossible.

"So this..." Shirayuki began.

The man nodded "Yes, this is the inner world of Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Hmmm, I never expected a human soul to be able to cope with it." Sode no Shirayuki mused.

"There is always a first time for everything." The old man said wisely.

Thinking, Shirayuki then asked the old man, "Do you know what is happening outside?"

Seemingly understanding my question, the man answered, "As of yet, my wielder has passed out, the hollow has been defeated."

Defeated?

That was definitely news to her. When exactly had this happened? And how had the hollow been purified if she wasn't there to help?

Voicing these thoughts directly to the old man he answered with a wry smile. "It is my theory that you must have been between the two worlds while the battle was taking place. I apologize but I may have had to draw on your reiatsu so I was able to battle properly."

That explained why she couldn't move back there in the first place. It also explained why the hollow had been purified without her help. Nevertheless, it was still astounding.

"So… what will happen now?" Shirayuki asked.

"I suppose that you will be staying here for quite some time."

Sode no Shirayuki sighed sadly.

"What is troubling you?" asked the old man.

"I am worrying about my wielder, without me she will be in danger, and I will have no way of contacting her in soul society."

The man seemed in thought for a moment, and then spoke up, "She will have no way of returning to soul society without you, and because of that she will likely stay with Ichigo. And knowing him, he will protect her with his life. As shall I..."

With his words Sode no Shirayuki felt strength and reassurance flow into her. She trusted this man to fulfil his promises and even though she had only just known him for a short time, she felt that he spoke the truth. Yes, Rukia would be safe, and one day she would return to her and give her hell for all this… perhaps followed by a hug.

"Just one thing I ask of you…" He spoke softly.

"Yes?" Shirayuki answered immediately. She owed this to him.

"I ask of you to tell me about Soul society, and the other shinigami there."

Sode no Shirayuki smiled at this request, for all he looked, he really had never been to Soul society, and his knowledge was not as boundless as his demeanour suggested.

"Of course, I will give you all the information you need about Soul Society." Shirayuki smiled warmly at him.

And without warning, she walked up to him and stuck out her hand delicately. "A deal then?"

The old man looked shocked for a moment, then quickly recovered and clasped her hand with his. "Yes, a deal."

Upon making the deal they looked up at the sky, as a small part of the cloudy sky turned blue, and the whole world they lived in seemed brighter. They just looked up for a while, enjoying the peace and quiet, the serenity. Shirayuki broke the silence with a question.

"Just one more thing…" She began.

"What is it Shirayuki-san?" He answered back, still looking at the sky.

"Well, it's just that you have my name, but I never got yours." Sode no Shirayuki teased in a light hearted voice.

The man turned to her, smiled whole heartedly, and gave a deep bow. "Shirayuki-san…"

"My name is Zangetsu."

* * *

**Authors note****:**

Whoa, what a contrast to the last chapter, don't you just want to daaaaaaaaaaaw? And I also apologise for the slight OOCness but I don't exactly care, I only allow people to flame if they actually write better than I do, so Nyah. I reeeeeaaaaly am trying to get the chapters out quicker and I believe I should get a few up over the term one holidays, so far everything is going..... Just as planned *insert twisted smile and dramatic colour change*. See ya laters everyone!!

**Co-Authors note:**

Yo! Tis I! The great TsugiNoMai-sama, don't think just because plum-chan gets things done over the holidays that I will, I'm far less motivated than she will ever be! It's so bad... anyway I have anime to get through, I've no time to be _too _annoying right now... same anime as plum-chan, I'll take a potato chip...

**Chapter Preview:**

Last weeks winner was **Fanficssuck**!!!! The answer was Itoshiki-sensei from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Guess this week's anime reference in my A/N to be getting a preview for the next chapter!!!! ... Just as planned... MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!


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